In this first part of a two-part episode, we are discussing Slovak citizenship with American dancer James Stevko. Growing up in America, James mistakenly believed that his great grandfather had emigrated from Czechia. It wasn’t until a chance discovery in some family records that Stevko learned of his Slovak ancestry.

This sent him down a path of self discovery that has culminated with an opportunity to claim Slovak citizenship(due to a recent change in Slovakia’s citizenship law). If successful, James will become -in the eyes of the law- as Slovak as the president. Our conversation covered James’ discovery, legal processes, and what it all means to him.

Citizenship lies at the core of the migrant experience. We cannot choose where we are born, but where we are born determines many of life’s outcomes. For some, citizenship provides safety and opportunity. While for others, it is a chain that binds them to poverty and insecurity. This makes a discussion of citizenship vital for creating societies that are fair and free.

Thank you to James Stevko for sharing his experiences. James is an accomplished dancer and performer. You can follow him on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/jmstevko/?hl=en

Theme song: Cristian Estrella – 25 cóndores índigos rumbo a Marte (intro version) . You can find Cristian’s work online at: https://www.radiorueda.com/members/cristian-estrella/

https://cristianestrella.bandcamp.com/

Thank you also to Fjuzn for all their support. Fjuzn is a program of the Milan Simecka Foundation. You can follow them online at:

Úvod

https://fjuzn.sk/embed/#?secret=3aU25Ys5bT#?secret=kWmIc9Wqnhhttps://www.facebook.com/fjuznNMS
https://www.instagram.com/festival_fjuzn/

Realizované s finančnou podporou Fondu na podporu kultúry národnostných menšín

This episode was created with financial support from the Fund for the Support of the Culture of National Minorities